How would any of us react when faced with having to make a decision about risking our own life to save a stranger? And, why would we make such a decision? That is a decision which those in the life-saving services make each day. Who are these people and why would they risk their life to save another? Those are questions that are dealt with in this exciting and thought-provoking novel. The backdrop of this story is the exciting adventures at sea of men serving in the U. S. Coast Guard along the coasts of Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. It is a story of heroism, self-sacrifice, enduring friendship, and romance. But, men in the Coast Guard also have their dark side; it is also a story of humanity dealing with drugs, alcoholism, susicide and even murder. Mostly it is a story about fear and one's determination and ability to understand and overcome it. The story is set in the Vietnam war era, and in an attempt to avoid the horrors of war, Cody Stiles, the main character, joins the U. S. Coast Guard. But, there, he is forced to face his most ghastly fear, that of not only drowning but drowning in water that is dark and mysterious. Tragedy as a young boy, watching his older brother drown in a farm pond in Kansas, making no attempt to save him, and his father believing that he is a coward, shaped the young life of Cody Stiles. In the end, he makes an unconscious decision that affects the lives of many.

The epigraph for Howl is from Walt Whitman: "Unscrew the locks from the doors!/Unscrew the doors themselves from their jambs!" Announcing his intentions with this ringing motto, Allen Ginsberg published a volume of poetry which broke so many social...

Jervey Tervalon's novel about young people in South Central Los Angeles grows out of his experience teaching in a high school there and his pain at the death of one of his favorite students.

DYLAN'S SCOUT TROOP goes camping in Halape, a remote spot below the volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. The only thing wrong with the weekend on a beautiful, peaceful beach is Louie, a tough older boy. Louie and Dylan just can't get along.That night an earthquake rocks the camp, and then a wave rushes in, sweeping everyone and everything before it. Dylan and Louie must team up on a dangerous rescue mission. The next hours are an amazing story of survival and the true meaning of leadership.

The book Howl Softly is an assortment of poems, essays, stories written over many years and then embedded into a larger work using several fictitious characters.

Enter another realm in the amazing world of the Humanx Commonwealth--the interstellar empire governed jointly by humans and aliens! The newly discovered planet of Senisran was a veritable paradise--a sprawling world of vast oceans dotted with thousands of lush islands and copious deposits of rare-earths and minerals. First-contact specialist Pulickel Tomochelor's mission to Senisran was straightforward: Secure mining rights for the Humanx Commonwealth before the vicious AAnn Empire beat them to the chase. With Senisran's Parramat clan resisting entreaty, negotiations could be difficult, but Pulickel was more comfortable with aliens than with his own species, and looked forward to a triumphant return to Earth. He hadn't counted on the incredible secret of Parramat, though: the strange, powerful green stones that the tribe used to manipulate the forces of nature. Within those stones lay an awesome technology the origin of which was lost in time--a technology that had to be kept from the AAnn at any cost . . .

Explains what hurricanes are, what causes them, and where they occur; discusses what happens during an hurricane and who helps afterwards; and considers whether hurricanes can be predicted. Includes case studies.